


Breath of Doubt

by unknownghostt



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Anxiety, Doubt, Fear, Hurt Link, Hurt/Comfort, Link (Legend of Zelda) Needs a Hug, Mental Anguish, Moral Dilemmas, Multi, Mute Link (Legend of Zelda), Selectively Mute Link (Legend of Zelda), Self-Doubt, Sexuality Crisis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-16 00:15:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28697544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unknownghostt/pseuds/unknownghostt
Summary: Link finally wakes up after a hundred years of being asleep. When he wakes up, however, he realizes he knows nothing of who he is and why. The only thing he remembers is being hated by the women he apparently had sworn to protect.
Relationships: Link/Prince Sidon, Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 51





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I thought it'd be interesting if the only memories Link remembered were memories of Zelda disliking him, so I decided to write it. :)  
> Also, the formatting got kind of screwed up :( sorry in advance!

It all started with a voice.

“Open your eyes… open your eyes…”

A bright light cascaded upon him, causing his eyes to flutter and open. He felt his eyes adjust.

“Wake up Link…”

Who is Link? 

He looked down at his hands and his body. He was submerged in shallow water stripped to almost nothing but a pair of shorts. 

He supposed the more important question was; who is he? Why can’t he remember anything? Was he Link? The name sounded familiar, alongside the soft, feminine voice that said it. He looked around. He was the only person in the room. Who was talking to him?

He climbed out of the pool and looked around the room. The floor was cold against his wet feet and he felt a shiver go down his spine. The room was a bit dim. He saw a pedestal. Walking up to it, the voice from before explained the bizarre tablet that lied upon it. The voice was so familiar to him… he felt a sense of melancholy. Why do I feel this way? Who’s voice is that? Who am I? Were all questions he asked himself. He didn’t understand. His head began to hurt. 

He picked up the tablet and left the room, finding two chests outside the door. The clothes were too small and ripped, but they were clothes nonetheless. He hoped for a better set soon, but he wasn’t too hopeful when he walked outside to see he was stuck on a deserted plateau. Only a mysterious old man kept him company, but even then was he kept at an arm’s length. He wanted the old man to help him, to tell him who he was and what he was doing here, to tell him that everything was okay, but he only told him to go to shrines in order to receive a paraglider to leave the plateau. Why would he leave the plateau? Was there more out there than just the two of them? The place was in ruins. Surely not. Surely someone was out there, especially to bring back the beauty of the temple that was there. No one would leave such a place desolate for so long, right?

He was wrong of course. The old man revealed himself to be the last King of Hyrule when Link finally visited every shrine. His name was King Rhoam. Apparently they knew each other, one hundred years prior. King Rhoam did, in fact, confirm his name was Link. Apparently King Rhoam’s daughter, Princess Zelda, was on the verge of losing to the calamity. Whoever she was and whatever the calamity was seemed so foreign to Link. What did any of this have to do with him? He didn’t know of Zelda. He didn’t know of the calamity or Ganon or whatever it was called. He didn’t dare say a word to King Rhoam about his thoughts. All he knew now was that he had to go to Kakariko village and talk to the elder, Impa, in order to receive any information about what had happened to him and what he was supposed to do.

Before King Rhoam disappeared, he told Link to dispose of the calamity and save his daughter. When he finally disappeared, he felt his chest become heavy. How was he supposed to fight this calamity? And why did the only person he knew have to leave him all alone? Link only had the old man. He had no memories of friends to rely on. He had barely any clothes (other than the nice tunic he received from the old man), barely any food, and a club that he stole from sleeping monsters. The disappearance of the old man hurt. Seeing him in his true form, however, hurt him more. The uncomfortable feeling he felt in his chest when he saw him made Link think that there was something about their relationship one hundred years past that just wasn’t right. He didn’t care for that much now though. He just wanted someone. The only thing to keep him company was the disembodied voice that only talked to him on occasion, to warn him of something. He wanted to be with someone. He felt truly alone.

The journey to Kakariko wasn’t hard. He even got a horse companion. A horse red with a white mane. Link named him Ares. He didn’t know why, but he thought the name fit. A different God from elsewhere who was the god of war, something Link felt that the old him must have known well. The trip was quick.  
Although a terrible thought, Link wished he never met with Impa. She told him of a terrible past where he was mortally wounded and that Zelda sacrificed herself to fight the calamity with hopes that he’d awake again to finish the job. Link didn’t know what to say. He felt his mind scream at him, calling him a failure. And for what? He had no recollection. No memory. He didn’t know anything.

She talked of the importance of hurrying to gain control of the divine beasts, as having control of them would easily contribute to the downfall of the calamity. He was to set off to Hateno Village to talk to Impa’s sister, Purah, and then head to the Zora domain, as it was the closest. Then the Goron, Gerudo, and lastly, Rito.  
This was a dangerous mission he was to go on, that much he knew. He left without uttering a single word. He was so afraid. His thoughts were scattered. He thought of just running to a remote village and staying there for the rest of his days, but he knew deep down that was so wrong. Whoever Zelda was, she was waiting for him. He couldn’t let her down. He had to fight and free her. Maybe she could help him remember who he was. Maybe she was the key for him to become… him once more. If the Link now was a spineless coward, he’d much prefer to be the Link from one hundred years ago that seemingly went into this was no qualms.

Link felt a pang of guilt at the thought. That seemed selfish. Only to free her so she could free him from his perpetual confusion. He should save her because it’s the right thing to do. He should save her because it’s his duty. The inner turmoil he was undergoing seemed to be never ending, like the calamity the people of Hyrule were going through. He hoped he’d be enough to end it. He already failed once. Who’s to say he won’t fail again?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link thinks of real estate in Hateno Village.

Hateno Village was a much further journey. There were so many monsters. Link could barely sit by the campfire without looking around in fear! Skeletal remains became animated at night. He wasn’t quite sure why his help was wanted; he failed once, he was bound to fail again especially since he no longer had his memories. He didn’t know the champions, Impa, Purah, or even Zelda. He knew he knew them all at one point. Names like Urbosa, Daruk, Mipha, and Revali felt familiar. Impa gave him a sense of familiarity as well. Zelda, however, was different.

The feeling he gets whenever someone talks about her… he feels afraid. His heart races and he feels himself begin to sweat. Maybe it’s guilt. She’s stuck in Hyrule Castle fighting the calamity by herself for one hundred years when he was stuck asleep. How could he be considered a hero when she was dealing with the brunt of it all?

Whatever he was expecting with Purah, he was wrong. The fact she looked like a child was one thing, but the other fact was that she was eccentric, which was the complete opposite of Impa’s calm and well-respected nature. Not that he didn’t respect Purah--he figured to not go into that thought. If she could make herself six years old despite being over one hundred, he wasn’t sure if she wasn’t somehow reading his thoughts.

Purah informed Link of how parts of his Sheikah tablet were missing components that she could restore as long as he could light her furnace with a blue flame. Easy enough. He made sure to go during the day and made sure to go through the town. No monsters, no problem.

After getting the Sheikah tablet restored, he noticed the pictures in the photo album. He scrolled through them. Everything looked so familiar, but he couldn’t pinpoint it. He wanted to remember so bad. He needed to remember, but he couldn’t. He wanted to remember. Why couldn’t he remember?!

“Everything alright hero?” Purah asked. Link didn’t realize he made a face as he looked at the photos. He nodded his head in response and put the tablet back at his hip. “Well, okay! Make sure to get the parts so I can update the tablet!” He nodded in response and walked out.

Link walked down the mountain, holding the reins to Ares. They walked in complete silence. When they got to the bottom, he brought them to the orchard and sat at the base of a tree. He left out a deep sigh. How was he supposed to do this?! He was clueless. He knew nothing of the calamity, of Zelda, the divine beasts, the champions, nothing! He pondered just… getting a house in Hateno and staying there until the end of his days. If the hero was always reborn, does it matter if he fights off the calamity or not? Someone else will just be reborn and… well… do what he couldn’t.

That was a terrible thought and that got him to stand up and walk. He needed to head to the Zora Domain and gain control of the divine beast. He has to do this. This is what he has to do. This is his obligation. This is what he was born to do. He cannot do anything else other than that; what he was destined to do.

Walking through town, he spotted a man taking a hammer to a house. He walked over in confusion. The man noticed.

“This house has been abandoned since the calamity,” he explained, going in for a hit, “apparently, there was a family here and two were royal guards. They went to the castle and never returned. Don’t know what happened to the third one though.” Link looked at the house, his mind going back to what happens if he just… stays here. “If you want this house you have to talk to the boss.” Link tilted his head and then slowly walked around the house, inspecting it. How coincidental that this was here after thinking about it… a house to live in on the other side of Hateno, where neither Purah or Symin would even think to look or even wonder if he was there. Impa and them could just chalk his failure to defeat the calamity by dying on his journey. 

No. He can’t be thinking this. He has to save Zelda--

“You want this house boy? I’ll tell you what, this house is worth 50,000 rupees, but I’ll cut the price to 3,000 for you!” Link’s jaw dropped. He didn’t have much money, but he could easily get some by selling the dumb bugs he’s been catching. “You don’t seem to have the funds, but I’ll keep the sale up just for you!” Link smiled and nodded excitedly.

Okay, so he can’t get the house now, but he could get it in the future. Maybe, instead of looking at the calamity as the end all, he should think of a future free of it. He’ll need a house. Hateno is the perfect place to stay. If he really survives and saves Zelda, then he can live here! He can stay here and away from any harm, well, hopefully.

Link got on Ares and went towards the Zora domain. The journey alone scared him, but the more monsters he fought and the more shrine he went into, the more confident he became. The shrines sometimes involved him using the sheikah tablet and smarts instead of brawn, which was relieving, but… there was something about fighting monsters that he found liberating. At first, he was petrified. To be fair, he only had a tree branch as a weapon and a pot lid as a shield. Now that he has better stuff, he feels more confident in beating these monsters. The rush he gets when he sees the purple smoke go up and their guts and whatnot are left behind is incomparable. He didn’t understand why he was so afraid before. He felt himself go through the motions of how his past would fight and felt himself be successful. He wondered how he felt about all of this back then…

Link boarded Ares in a stable halfway and decided to go on the rest of the journey alone. Ares got too spooked by the monsters too often and Link rathered that he stayed safe in a stable and to get used to the land before he took Ares out for longer rides. It took longer to get to the Zora Domain this way, but this way, he could ensure Ares’ safety. 

On his way to the domain, he saw a tower. That was great! He needed to update his sheikah tablet’s map. When he reached the top, he saw a… fish person?! He realized that this had to be a Zora! 

“Hylian!” The Zora exclaimed, “I am so glad that you have come up here! I was looking for Hylians up here when all of a sudden, the tower suddenly went up! I’ve been looking for Hylians for Prince Sidon, you know, of the Zora! He needs a Hylian! Go to the Zora Domain and look for-! OH, Prince Sidon, up here!”

Link looked down from the tower to see another Zora. He couldn’t see him that well, but he could make out that he was red. He jumped off, using the paraglider. When he finally landed, he saw that this Zora was tall, like super tall! Link had to crane his neck up to even see his face.

“I am Prince Sidon of the Zora and I need your help, Hylian!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the chapters being so short! I haven't written anything in a while and I'm afraid of coming off as boring haha. Thank you for reading and I'll try to make the next chapter long :)
> 
> Also, I'm not very used to how AO3 works, so the formatting is foreign to me. I write everything in my Google docs and then just copy and paste here.
> 
> Thank you to the people who left kudos on the last chapter, it brought a smile to my face! Thank you again and I hope you enjoy this one as well :)

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully, I'll update soon. Thank you for taking the time to read this. :)


End file.
